Aquamatic Owner Review : Confidential, astute and mysterious

Here is an AQUAMATIC that I have had for over 15 years. Despite research, I have not yet seen other models of this brand, or even information. However, I like this little watch. Indeed, it is very representative of its era, that is to say the beginning of the 50s. First by its dial, and the typography of the numbers (which I recently saw identical on a ROTARY Maximus from 1951). Then by the gold-plated case, extremely common on post-war dress-watches. Note that the plating is of quality since it is still intact (while the dial already has a good patina). Finally, and as its name AQUAMATIC indicates, by the movement which is self-winding. But, and this is why I bought this watch (because I did not yet have this kind of caliber), the winding is called "bumper". To put it simply, the rotor bounces back and forth on springs built into a bumper, at an angle of about 120/150 degrees. This technology is old, and can still be found in the 40s and 50s, among others. The 360-degree gravity-driven sliding rotor has since taken over, and has now become the standard for automatic watches, as it is considered more efficient for winding, and less susceptible to wear. So, the price of bumpers is generally lower, especially since the cases of that era were quite small. 32/33 mm was common. Mine, luckily, is 35 mm, which is still acceptable for a 18 cm wrist. The difficulty of finding spare parts for 70/80 year old watches does not help the price either. Otherwise, my AQUAMATIC has a 20-jewel Revue 80 bumper caliber, made by the well-known Swiss brand REVUE THOMMEN. It works very well, despite long periods of inactivity. Another particularity of this watch is that the case back is in 2 parts, with a patented screwed ring system called Bagobloc, which is surely supposed to ensure better water resistance. So here is a small watch that looks like nothing, but which hides interesting specificities. I suppose that the AQUAMATIC brand did not last long, which is why there are few or no models of these on the market. So, if you have one, do not hesitate to share your opinion and knowledge.